New Delhi: The Delhi government will soon introduce the nucleic acid testing (NAT), an advanced method of testing blood to detect the AIDS virus, in all blood banks by the end of this year, Health and Family Welfare Minister A.K. Walia said Tuesday.
"Our focus will be on providing quality blood to the needy people. For the purpose, the NAT method will be implemented by the end of this year," he said at a seminar on promotion of blood donation at Apollo Hospital here.
"The government is also keen on pitching in with more suggestions for the committee focusing on improving quality in blood banks," added Walia.
NAT technology is currently only available with three state-run blood banks in the capital - the the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML), and the Army Research and Referral Hospital.
The seminar saw participation from around 200 representatives from State Blood Transfusion Council of the Delhi government, and blood bank officials from other government and private institutions.
"There is a need to increase the number of suppliers for safe blood supply. Awareness can help people overcome the myth that blood donation is unhealthy," said R.N. Makroo, director of transfusion medicine at Apollo Hospital.
IANS